Plains snowmelt is expected to cause the Oahe Reservoir pool to noticeably rise over the next three weeks.
As of yesterday (Tues.), inflows into Oahe were 97,000 cfs with average daily releases at 3,700 cfs. Pool elevation is at 1610.23 feet, up 0.6 foot in the past day. Flood stage is 1620.
The US Army Corps of Engineers says more than 80 percent of the Missouri River Dam System’s flood control storage is available to store runoff this spring and summer.
Corps water managers are closely monitoring plains snowmelt runoff in South Dakota and North Dakota and adjusting releases at the mainstem projects to balance inflows, rising reservoir levels and downstream conditions. The mountain snowpack, which usually peaks around April 15, remains average.
